Part of the joy of working with college students is helping identify and disciple those feeling called to ministry! One of the best parts of my job is now seeing how our Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) graduates pour out their lives for the Gospel across the world. Below, I share how God called me and hope it can help others follow Jesus in the same way.
“In 2009 I stood under a tent on a dirt floor in a small village outside Johannesburg, South Africa, telling the small group that gathered there about how Jesus had changed my life. In this moment, God made it very clear that I should use my life to continue to tell others about Jesus.
I spent years growing up in the church before I was genuinely transformed by the Gospel. Sure, I went to Sunday services and youth events, but it wasn’t until God’s Spirit pierced my heart that I fully committed to becoming a disciple of Jesus. Do you know what the most drastic change was? My willingness to obey.
Spending time around other Christians and in church ministries had given me a great deal of Bible knowledge, but very little of that knowledge had made its way into my life. That changed when I became convinced that Jesus wanted me to take any opportunity I could to do what He said. Willing obedience was a key factor God used to help me discover my calling to ministry.
Jesus puts it clearly in the book of John (8:31), saying, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” When Jesus says to “hold to” His teaching, He’s instructing us not to merely hold the truth in our minds but to obey that truth day by day. Jesus explains the results of obedience in the next verse (32): “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
When my youth pastor challenged me to obey the Great Commission and GO to South Africa on a mission trip—I did. On that trip, when it came time to share my story about the life change that Jesus offers—I did!
When my BCM campus minister challenged me to consider staying on campus and sharing the Gospel with college students— I did! Now, over 10 years later, I have been blessed to see the fruit of obedience. Even when the journey of my calling wasn’t always clear, I knew that if I obeyed in the moment, God would take care of the next step.”